Diplomatic assistance to the Top Gear team after they were attacked in Argentina cost taxpayers no extra money, the Foreign Office has said.

Trouble erupted after it emerged the cast and crew from the BBC show were using a Porsche with the registration H982 FKL, which some people suggested could refer to the Falklands conflict of 1982.

The team had to abandon their cars at the roadside as they were pelted with stones. They later fled the country, where they were filming a Top Gear Christmas special. The Foreign Office's South Americas department said the consular support it provided to Top Gear was covered by existing resources.

The department said: "The consular support provided to the Top Gear team was covered by existing Foreign and Commonwealth Office resources."